East Second Street To Be Closed For Demolition Today

Dennis Phillips

Jamestown Reporter/Business Editor

dphillips@post-journal.com

By Dennis Phillips dphillips@post-journal.com Starting at 9 a.m., East Second Street between Main and Pine streets will be closed to continue the demolition of 10-12 E. Second St. Vince DeJoy, city development director, said the contractor, HH Rauh Contract Co., will finish tearing down the rest of the structure that had a partial roof collapse on Oct. 20. He said thanks to work done by state Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, and state Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, the demolition became a priority project for the state Labor Department, who issued the necessary permits quicker than normal. DeJoy said a variance was also issued to keep Babalu Cafe and JB Jr. Barber & Stylist, located at 14-16 E. Second St., opened during the demolition. Normally, a fence needs to be installed around the perimeter of the demolition site at 25 feet. However, because this would force the two businesses to close during the demolition, a variance was issued to allow for the installation of the perimeter fence at eight feet Tearing down the building will be a controlled demolition, DeJoy said. He said no asbestos survey was done before tearing down what remains of the building. He added workers will be wearing mask and watering down the area to control the demolition site. ”The contractor didn’t see any asbestos, but you don’t know,” DeJoy said. The demolition is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. DeJoy said East Second Street will be open for the start of school to curtail traffic problems around Jamestown High School. The estimated cost of the demolition is around $175,000, DeJoy said. The Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation, who took control of the deed for the property following the partial roof collapse, will fund $155,000 toward the demolition using funds granted to them by the State Attorney General’s Office. He said the remaining $20,000 will be paid by the city. He added they have a dedicated line in the city’s budget for emergency demolition situations. The city will also be receiving help from the Chautauqua County Land Fill, who will be providing credits to the city to allow for the dumping of the debris from the demolition. As for future reuse of the building, DeJoy said city officials haven’t had time to ”imagine” what could occupy the space in the future. He said they have only been focusing on tearing down the rest of the building. However, he said another building could be built in the same location. He added it is a C-2 zoned site, which could allow for upper floor apartments and possibly a retail store on the ground floor. ”There is no reason another building couldn’t be built there,” he said. Gina Paradis, Chautauqua County Land Bank administrative director, said they will work with city officials and community stakeholders to plan out strategies on how to redevelop the site. DeJoy said it is possible that request for proposals will be sent to regional developers who might be interested in the site. He said city officials will work with developers on economic incentives for redevelopment projects.